Rentschler Field is set to reopen, but what’s the future of the stadium as it turns 20 years old?

[BigTenFan]

When you can't get UConn students to attend games in East Hartford you have a problem. Students want to be able to walk out of their dorms and head to the stadium.
Tailgating is mostly for Alumni and fans- not students

I like on campus stadiums, but they do go to East Hartford by the thousands every game, they just don’t go inside the stadium. The students not going into the stadium is unrelated to the distance.

You just proved my point- The UConn students don't go in the stadium to support the team-The University needs to encourage kids to watch the games. That is how you build some momentum for the program

 

[Bongo Fury]

Hey if the college coeds are partying in the parking lot, that’s where I’d have been.

 

[Waquoit]

That was a nice run for a few years,,, Springsteen, the Stones, The Police.... damn!!

Do we know that it was the town? I never read anything blocking future shows. Most of the grief came after the first Springsteen show, there were three to follow. I think it was more the lack of arena touring product combined with Fenway getting into the concert business.

 

[Waquoit]

Kraft was never all-in on a stadium in Hartford. ... Kraft was using Connecticut to get a better deal from Massachusetts, but ultimately, he built the stadium in Foxboro with private funds although Massachusetts kicked in some infrastructure improvements.

He was all-in, all right. Kraft basically didn't get anything that wasn't already on the table when he signed with Hartford. He got a face-saving loan from the NFL and those "infrastructure improvements". Hardly the result of a "master plan."

 

[Adios]

You just proved my point- The UConn students don't go in the stadium to support the team-The University needs to encourage kids to watch the games. That is how you build some momentum for the program

The school does but the on field product has been an issue.

 

[Chief00]

The school does but the on field product has been an issue.

Well, the buses leave to go back to Storrs before the game. The bus drivers finish early on a Saturday and the students avoid the excitement of Randyball.

 

[TJT]

Convert more bleacher seating into chairbacks for a more comfortable experience. Will never again frequently need such a large capacity playing the schedule of an independent.

 

[Ldandy]

When you can't get UConn students to attend games in East Hartford you have a problem. Students want to be able to walk out of their dorms and head to the stadium.
Tailgating is mostly for Alumni and fans- not students

Bro what B1G School did you attend? I tailgated all 4 years on campus. If your school didn’t allow that you missed out.

 

[husky8273]

Oh yeah you’re absolutely right Kraft was all in on putting a stadium in Hartford end it turned out beautifully right on the Connecticut River… Oh wait that never happened. So maybe he wasn’t “all that in?”

UConn definitely would have gotten a stadium on campus. Look at all the development that has happened on campus since then. The problem in the university’s original pitch was that it over estimated the legislature’s zeal for all things UConn and included the equivalent of both the Burton and Shankman buildings in with the stadium request. It was a huge nut and appropriately turned down. Had they just asked for the funding for the stadium it would’ve been approved. Remember it was no more expensive to build the rent on UConn owned land in Storrs instead of on the airway donated by Pratt and Whitney.

Where we can find agreement is that Rentschler field was a reaction to the failure of the Patriots deal going through. If those “negotiations” had never taken place, we have a stadium in Storrs right now. As I often say, I like Rentschler field. There’s not a bad seat in the house and the tailgating scene is pretty good. It’s also 30 minutes closer to my home, not that that matters to me one way or the other.

the state legislature tried and failed to fund a stadium in Storrs many times. The votes weren't there until it was pitched as part of a Hartford redevelopment plan. As much as Kraft played CT, the NFL also stepped in to insure they didn't lose the Boston TV market.

 

[BigTenFan]

Bro what B1G School did you attend? I tailgated all 4 years on campus. If your school didn’t allow that you missed out.

IU and one son in West Lafayette

 

[CL82]

the state legislature tried and failed to fund a stadium in Storrs many times. The votes weren't there until it was pitched as part of a Hartford redevelopment plan. As much as Kraft played CT, the NFL also stepped in to insure they didn't lose the Boston TV market.

I only remember one time. Are you sure about that? Any links?

 

[husky8273]

I only remember one time. Are you sure about that? Any links?

Stadium Timeline: The Long Road To Rentschler Field - Hartford Courant

 

[CL82]

Stadium Timeline: The Long Road To Rentschler Field - Hartford Courant

How many votes in the legislature against a stadium in Storrs do you see in this time line?

 

[RSTuthill]

This is a trivial thread. The Rent will be the UConn stadium for at least 30 more years, perhaps longer. Not to say it won't be modified or improved, but there will never be an on campus football stadium. Too far out in the sticks. No money to do it. And if the State has that kind of money kicking around, they had best spend it on academics, not on yet another stadium.

 

[CL82]

This is a trivial thread.

Um, sorry to have disappointed you?

 

[RSTuthill]

Um, sorry to have disappointed you?

Did you get a head start on the enabling legislation by any chance?

 

[Platt81]

Bro what B1G School did you attend? I tailgated all 4 years on campus. If your school didn’t allow that you missed out.

I could have read this wrong, but I think his point is uconn tailgating is for alumni and fans, not students, because of the fact it’s not on campus. I don’t think it was a statement pertaining to any B1G school.

 

[CL82]

Did you get a head start on the enabling legislation by any chance?

On posting threads more to your liking? No, no I did not.

 

[CTBasketball]

The stadium is still in great shape. It may be 20 years old but its basically been used for only 10-15 years. Empty crowds don’t add to wear and tear.

 

[Kolumbo]

"It’s party and tailgate time again for UConn football games."

"Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is expected to be at 100-percent capacity and tailgating will be allowed for the 2021 UConn football season, the school announced on Monday morning."

 

[cullaville]

and a retractable dome so we can play basketball there for big games. and while I’m in dreamland, multiple Dairy Bar locations, A Bar Taco (for the margaritas), Chowda, and several CT pizza options. What did I miss?

A good, competitive football team